Shirley Willard
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Shirley Willard | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1936 |
| Alma mater | Ball State (MA) |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Organization | Fulton County Historical Society |
Shirley Willard (born September 28, 1936) is a historian and writer known for her work with the Fulton County Historical Society.
Education
[edit]Willard initially went to college to become a teacher, obtaining her bachelor's from Manchester College in 1959. Willard received her master's from Ball State University in 1966.[1]
Career
[edit]Willard was one of the founding members of the Fulton County Historical Society in 1963.[2] She initially served as the secretary before becoming its president in 1971.[3] Under her tenure, the Fulton County Museum and the living history village of Loyal were built and established in Rochester, Indiana.[4]
In 1976, Willard founded the Trail of Courage Living History Festival to honor descendants of Potawatomi families affected by Indian Removal on the Trail of Death.[5] Furthering her work with Potawatomi history, Willard founded the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association in 2005.[6] Her work with the Association focuses on recording Potawatomi history from around the time of their removal to Kansas via the Trail of Death, establishing historical markers, and honoring living descendants of these people.
Willard retired in 2001 after 30 years of serving as president of the Fulton County Historical Society.[7] She is still active as a writer and historian with the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association.
Willard's continuing work in recognizing local history has received numerous awards. Notable awards include two from the Indiana Historical Society. In 2004, Willard received the Dorothy Riker Award for Innovation in the Field of History. Willard was also awarded the Indiana Historical Society's 2017 Eli Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award.[8] In 2019, Willard was given the Golden Hoosier Award by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, acknowledging senior Hoosiers who have made distinguished contributions to their communities.[9]
Bibliography
[edit]- Fulton County Folks vol. 1 (1974)
- Fulton County Folks vol. 2 (1974)
- Fulton County, Indiana: Potawatomi Trail of Death - 1838 Removal from Indiana to Kansas (2003), with Susan Campbell
- Rochester (Images of America) (2009)
- Fulton County, Indiana: the Luckiest County in the World (2023)
References
[edit]- ^ "English Department Alumna Shirley Willard Describes How She is Working to Preserve the Memory of the Potawatomi Lost to the Trail of Death". Ball State English Department. 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "About Us". Fulton County History. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Class Notes Fall/Winter 2017-18 Ball State Magazine". Ball State Magazine. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "A Beacon of History: Shirley Willard". Daughters of the American Revolution. 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "IBC: Trail of Courage Honors Potawatomi". www.in.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Fulton County Museum". Potawatomi Trail of Death Association. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Shirley's Writings". Fulton County History. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/IHS-Awards-Recipients-through-2017.pdf. Indiana Historical Society. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "2019 Golden Hoosier Recipients". Family and Social Services Administration. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2025-05-27.